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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040281">In The Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfteam000/pseuds/wolfteam000'>wolfteam000</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Cyberpunk 2077-Typical Violence, F/F, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Nomad V (Cyberpunk 2077), Post-Canon, Post-The Sun Ending (Cyberpunk 2077)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 01:22:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,125</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040281</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfteam000/pseuds/wolfteam000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She was still hurting and tired in so many ways, still drowning in the dark of the night. But love was what one made it out to be and V had always loved wholly, absolutely and with reckless abandon – it was her strength and weakness, her resolution and conviction, her loyalty and faith.</p><p>And V was done running.</p><p>-</p><p>Post-The Sun ending. Judy has left Night City without a trace, leaving V heartbroken and alone. But a trail of corrupted BDs, cyberpsycho attacks, and a looming Militech conspiracy sets the two of them on the same collision course and it is only a matter of time before everything comes crashing down around them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Judy Alvarez/Female V, Judy Alvarez/V</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Lizzie's Bar</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>In The Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The soft ocean breeze curled through her hair gently, caressing her face almost lovingly. There was no one else at the secluded spot at the docks; no flickering neon lights, no brawling gangs and no endless looping of advertisements booming in the background. The hypnotising hush of the waves was almost enough to send her into a semi-trance but it wasn’t long before a certain restlessness pulled her back to the present. Shaking her head with a sigh, V took a deep breath, savouring the salty tang one last time before pushing herself off the railing and retreating to her car.</p><p>The door slid back into place with a whisper and the radio flickered into life, the steady pulsing beat of the music reverberating throughout the car. V eased her black Caliburn around the corner before gunning it full throttle. The engine purred beneath her touch as she wove in and out of traffic effortlessly, speeding along the highway across Watson and City Center and Heywood and back, her movements stemming from a state of half-consciousness and half-autopilot.</p><p>A nervous energy thrummed in her veins like buzzing static, constant and unyielding. The music faded into a white noise, the streets and flashing streetlights morphing into a blur and V felt her hands clench around the wheel just a little tighter, her foot pressing down on the gas just a little harder. Try as she might, she couldn’t outrun the feeling.</p><p>Her suicide run at Arasaka Tower had granted her legendary status in Night City and along with it, fame and fortune. The successful heist at Crystal Palace had only served to magnify it ten-fold, and more importantly, provided a cure for her condition.</p><p>But was it worth the cost?</p><p>She had gained much but lost so much more, and V didn’t know if there was anything left for her in the city.</p><p>Her train of thought inevitably turned to the Aldecaldos – grounded in family and loyal to a fault, with the freedom to come and go as they pleased. A pang of nostalgia hit her as memories flashed through her mind – memories of carefree laughter and rowdy celebrations, of campfire stories under starry nights and cloudless skies; the freedom and camaraderie called to her – it was in her blood after all.</p><p>Maybe she could leave and start anew once again, this time with a new family.</p><p>Or perhaps she could settle in another city, far from the poison and toxicity of Night City.</p><p>A weight seemed to settle in her chest at the thought – a mixture of regret at the way things had ended with Judy and a desire to find her to make things right.</p><p>Judy had sent her pictures of her travels during V’s absence and the last message she had gotten from was that she would be travelling east and might not have any signal for a few days.</p><p>That had been three months ago.</p><p>V let out a hiss as she nearly missed the turn. She wrenched the steering wheel to the left, working the pedals easily and her car skidded around the corner with a satisfying roar. She hit the gas once more, causing the world to burn away into streaks of colour and the adrenaline to flood her system, pushing all thoughts out of her mind.</p><p>These were stolen moments when she could feel like she wasn’t going out of her mind; like she was running from something she couldn’t quite place, or chasing something or someone she couldn’t find. She was nomad in spirit, mercenary by calling and Judy’s by heart; the dissonance was tearing her apart.</p><p>An incoming holo call appeared in the corner of her eye and an image of Rogue flickered into existence when V answered.</p><p>“Hey Rogue. Everything alright at the Afterlife?”</p><p>“You would know if you were here,” Rogue retorted with a wry smile.</p><p>V returned the smirk half-heartedly.</p><p>“Afterlife’s not mine to run. Told you before, being a fixer just isn’t my thing. Anyway, what’s up? You got a job for me?”</p><p>“No,” Rogue hummed and leaned back against the couch, crossing her legs casually. “But something came up that I thought you’d be interested to know, given your past affiliation.”</p><p>V’s heart skipped a beat.</p><p>“I’m listening.”</p><p>“There’s been a recent spate of BD related incidents at Lizzie’s. A few occasions where users have woken up with temporary memory loss or gotten their circuits fried. One of them even attacked other patrons, a sort of cyberpsychosis break or something. It’s wreaking havoc on business. The details are still fuzzy but there are whispers that the Tyger Claws are looking to cripple the Mox’s main source of income. Possibly initiate an all-out turf war soon.”</p><p>“The Tygers can’t be that stupid,” V mused, skirting another corner, tyres screeching. “The Mox rarely venture outside of Lizzie’s Bar. They don’t encroach on Tyger’s land and they don’t mess with the Tyger’s business. Fighting the Mox doesn’t make any sense.”</p><p>There was also no way Wakako didn’t know of V’s history with the Mox; it was an unspoken rule that the Mox was under V’s protection, and by affiliation the Afterlife mercs.</p><p>“It doesn’t.”</p><p>“What are you thinking?”</p><p>Rogue shrugged. “That it’s not my concern.”</p><p>“Right. Thanks for letting me know, Rogue.” V hesitated for a split second before asking, “and um, have you heard anything about Judy?”</p><p>The faintest pity flickered across Rogue’s face briefly. Or was it just static interference?</p><p>“Sorry kid, I don’t have that many contacts outside Night City and the few that I have haven’t heard anything. I’ll let you know when I do.”</p><p>V swallowed her disappointment.</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>Swinging her car around, she emerged on the main road, greeted by the rush of traffic and blinding neon lights.</p><p>Night City beckoned.</p><p>It took her little more than a few minutes before she pulled up to the bar, stepping out under the pink and blue lights. Rita gave her a little wave of her bat and V raised a hand in greeting.</p><p>Familiar nostalgia swelled in her chest and yet, with Judy gone, a certain emptiness remained, an ever-present ache that refused to go away.</p><p>“Hey there, dollface. Haven’t seen you in a while,” Rita said with a grin, resting her bat on her shoulder.</p><p>“Was in orbit for a while. It was…interesting.”</p><p>“Huh, think I might have heard about that on the news. You sure know how to pick your gigs, don’t you?”</p><p>V let out a low chuckle, hands drifting to her pockets as she stepped closer to Rita.</p><p>“Um, have you by any chance heard from Judy? Haven’t been able to get a hold of her lately.”</p><p>Rita shot her a look of surprise.</p><p>“Sorry, haven’t seen her for a few months. Heard she finally left the city though.”</p><p>“Yeah, she did,” V murmured. “But I’m actually here about something else. Heard there were a few incidents lately and something about the Tyger Claws.”</p><p>The bouncer surveyed the area quickly before handing her bat to her partner and gesturing for V to follow her into the bar.</p><p>“Let’s talk inside.”</p><p>The muffled music filtering through the doors crystallised as they slid open and V found herself bathed in pulsing shades of blue and pink and purple. Rita made her way over to Mateo but V slowed to a stop in the middle of the dance floor, her breath catching in her throat. She could still see the two figures sitting on the left side of the bar – the one with blue hair in a silver dress and black coat; the other sporting green and pink hair and numerous tattoos. The thumping bass reverberating around the bar faded into a dull rumbling in her ears, the wall-shaking pounding of drums morphing into the steady thud of her heartbeat.</p><p>Longing and loneliness gripped her heart and V thought she could almost feel her heart crack; soul hurting and heart limping – she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.</p><p>But she forced herself to breathe, forced herself to continue moving. And if Rita and Mateo had noticed something was off, they gave no such indication. Instead, the bartender slid V a shot of Centzon with a warm smile.</p><p>“Hey V.”</p><p>“Hey Mateo.”</p><p>“So, how can I help you?”</p><p>V threw back her drink, feeling the liquor burn its way down her throat.</p><p>“Heard there might be some sort of problem with the Tygers. I know the Mox can handle it but I want to help. I want to look into it.”</p><p>Mateo folded his arms, shooting Rita a glance.</p><p>“As long as Susie Q doesn’t hear about it, I don’t see a problem,” Rita shrugged.</p><p>V nodded. “Discretion. Got it.”</p><p>“Mhm.” Rita hopped up to sit on the bar counter. “Look V, people come to Lizzie’s for preem BDs and we all know a huge part of that was down to Judy’s virtus. Since Judy no longer works here, we had to get our supply elsewhere.” She paused as a patron ordered a drink from Mateo, who popped the cap off a bottle and handed it over, before continuing in a lower voice. “I’m guessing it was just a bad batch because some of them have caused short-term amnesia or disorientation. There was also one incident when a regular was trapped in the BD for a few hours. No sound, no image, no sensations – just pure sensory deprivation.”</p><p>“Fuck.” V ran a hand through her hair. “Where’d you get your BDs? DMS? Braindance Inc.?”</p><p>“Both, but mostly DMS. We do get some off-market.”</p><p>“Don’t you screen the BDs before they’re put into the catalogue?”</p><p>“We do. Not sure how those managed to slip through our screening process.”</p><p>“A few days ago, a customer’s circuits overheated while he was in a braindance. We managed to put out the fire before there was any serious damage,” Mateo said as he refilled V’s glass, “but when he came out of the virtu, he just went crazy and attacked one of our dancers.”</p><p>“Is she alright?”</p><p>“A few scraps and bruises. Our bouncers tried to take him down but the guy got away.”</p><p>V stilled, eyes dropping to her glass.</p><p>Based on her somewhat limited knowledge of cyberpsychosis and from what she had gathered from her gigs for Regina, cyberpsychosis was triggered by an overloading of cybernetic modifications to the body, with the preferred therapy being braindance therapy. She had never heard of an instance where cyberpsychosis was triggered by a braindance.</p><p>Swirling the liquid around gently, V swivelled around to face the dance floor, fingers rubbing at the rim of her glass absently; she could hear the harsh breathing and agonised gasps echoing in her head, see the ghostly image of Evelyn Parker writhing on the ground uncontrollably.</p><p>“V?”</p><p>The concern in Mateo’s voice broke through the haze of memories and she turned back around, slightly startled.</p><p>“Sorry, I was just…” V shook her head and drained the rest of her drink. “It doesn’t sound like the Tygers’ doing but it’s definitely unusual. Not sure what to make of it, or even if there’s anything more to it. What is the Mox gonna do?”</p><p>“Nothing for now,” Rita slid off the counter. “We’re still going through the batch to try and weed out the corrupted BDs but it’s taking some time.”</p><p>“You got any information on the last guy?”</p><p>“Used to drop by every once in a while. Corpo by the name of Jason Rost.”</p><p>“Corpo, huh.”</p><p>Perhaps an assassination attempt?</p><p>“Do you still have the BDs?”</p><p>“Sorry,” Rita shrugged, “we destroyed them. Corpo’s BD was from his private stash, so we don’t have that one either.”</p><p>“Huh, that’s a shame.” V’s eyes turned blue briefly as she transferred the money to Mateo. “Thanks for the chat though, you two. I’ll keep my nose to the ground. Let you know if anything pops.”</p><p>“Appreciate it,” Mateo gave a small nod of thanks.</p><p>“Swing by soon, dollface,” Rita said as the two of them reached the exit. “It’s always nice to see a friendly face.”</p><p>“I will. But hey, could you do me a favour?”</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>“Let me know if you hear from Judy?”</p><p>Rita gave her a sad smile.</p><p>“Will do.”</p>
<hr/><p>She was suspended motionless in the water, the sound of her heartbeat thudding in her ears, silvery rays of moonlight peeking through the surface in shimmering waves. She could almost hear Judy’s filtered voice echoing around her, the familiar tune haunting yet nostalgic, bittersweet yet beautiful. It was serene, almost surreal, and V was content to simply float there for as long as she could with her eyes closed and her other senses heightened.</p><p>But then the whisper of secrets and the chime of laughter started rippling around her; curious wonder mingled with anger and hurt and nostalgic longing, at times bleeding into each other and at times simply appearing in brilliant bursts. The eerie red glow faded into black as the crisp peal of church bells grew louder and a sudden pain seized her with a vengeance, ripping and clawing at her chest and her heart, crushing her lungs in its iron grip.</p><p>She resurfaced in a burst of bubbles, gasping for air.</p><p>Chest heaving, V stood in the middle of the pool to catch her breath as the sound and lights of Night City embraced her once again. The water prickled behind her eyes and she brushed a hand over her face, sweeping back her hair as she slowly waded towards the edge of the pool.</p><p>They had severed their neural connection a long time ago, but V could have sworn that some fragment or remnant still lingered in the peripheral of her mind.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck, Judy, where are you?</em>
</p><p>The lights flickered on automatically when she approached the glass doors separating her apartment and the patio, and the sudden chill as the doors slid open raised goosebumps all over her body. Despite the climate control, her apartment always seemed so cold. Gritting her teeth, V padded across the wooden floors and up the stairs to her bedroom, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her.</p><p>Tapping at the radio on the wall, the familiar guitar riff of “Never Fade Away” was soon playing softly in the background, echoing eerily throughout the empty apartment.</p><p>The hot water cascaded down her shoulders and she placed her hands against the cool marble wall, feeling the tension in her shoulders ease bit by bit. She glanced to her right – a familiar habit from all those early morning showers together – and a wave of fatigue washed over her. She could feel kisses being pressed against her shoulder, hands encircling her waist from behind and drawing her closer to the body pressing up against her. For the briefest of seconds, she lost herself in the echo of her memories. And when she opened her eyes again, she was alone once again.</p><p>The dull ache in her bones flared up for a second – it was just phantom pain, she told herself – but there was no mistaking the ever-present weight in her chest that seemed to grow heavier every day.</p><p>V exhaled deeply and stepped out of the shower.</p><p>Something soft and warm collided with her foot, letting out a mildly disgruntled meow.</p><p>“Hey Nibbles,” V bent down and gave the cat a few scratches behind its ear. “You miss me?”</p><p>Nibbles purred and hopped onto the bed, pawing at the sheets.</p><p>“I’m coming, I’m coming,” V chided gently. “I just need to dry my hair.”</p><p>She shot a quick reply back to Panam, declining her offer to join the Aldecaldos on their latest raid on an incoming Militech convoy and wishing them good luck, before finally slipping under the covers. Nibbles clambered onto her chest and curled up into a ball with a content purr. V petted the top of his head absently, staring up at the ceiling, trying to make sense of the constant whisper of jumbled thoughts that never seemed to fully take form in her mind.</p><p>The sheets were cool against her bare skin, but the phantom fingers tracing the curve of her hips were even colder. Gentle lips ghosted along the length of her back, memorising the dip in her spine and the scars scrawled unforgivingly across pale skin. V reciprocated, fingertips lingering over the ink on her skin, brushing over the words spilling across the canvas that was her body – words that spoke of moments in life and in time, words that spoke of heart and soul. The burning desire slowly devolved into a familiar hurt, one that clung to her stubbornly even in her dreams. The pain was suffocating and she woke to the buzzing of her holo with tears in her eyes and the bitter taste of loss on her tongue.</p><p>Fumbling for the device blindly in the dark and nearly knocking over a lamp in her haste, V brushed the dampness from her eyes, squinting at the harsh light and praying that nothing bad had happened to the Aldecaldos - she wouldn’t be able to live with the knowledge that she could have prevented it if only she hadn’t been so caught up with her brooding and self-pity.</p><p>V let out a sigh of relief when the only messages that popped up were from Regina. She scanned them quickly, pleasantly surprised at how quickly Regina worked – being a hotshot mercenary certainly did have its perks when calling in favours.</p><p>
  <em>Jason Rost, male, 37, chemical plant engineer at Petrochem, no priors.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Would suggest you pay a visit to the chemical plant in Arroyo. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nothing concrete but there’s been chatter of blackouts in the area and lots of movement at the dead of night. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Worth checking out perhaps?</em>
  
</p><p>Gently easing Nibbles onto the other side of the bed, V sat up slowly. The time on her holo read 3:26 am but V doubted she was going to get any more sleep tonight.</p><p>She swiped her pistol off the counter, giving the magazine a quick check before moving to grab her jacket from her closet. Her fingers lingered on the Samurai logo fondly.</p><p>She had single handedly brought Arasaka to its knees and successfully reversed the effect of the Relic on her body, wealth, status and reputation falling into place in the process. And here she was, still scrabbling for a foothold and trying not to drown in the tidal wave of emotions that she so often found herself being swept up in. She wondered what Johnny would say if he were here – probably something along the lines of how disgustingly mushy she was becoming before telling her to get off her ass and do something about it. A bemused smirk curled at the corner of her lips; she did miss that grumpy rockerboy sometimes.</p><p>Shaking her head, she slipped into her boots, shrugged on her jacket and strode out of her apartment.</p><p>Night City called once again.</p>
<hr/><p>The chemical plant was easy enough to infiltrate as it was with its lax security and minimal surveillance cameras and after a few quickhacks and some sneaking around, V managed to slip into the main office undetected.</p><p>The office was immaculate – papers were stacked together and placed at the corner of the desk, pens lined up in a neat row, laptop placed <em>exactly</em> in the middle of the desk, chair tucked in carefully.</p><p>Trying not to disturb the placement of any of the items on the desk, V booted up the computer. A quick search through the few messages and files on the computer revealed nothing out of the ordinary – if anything, Jason Rost led a very boring and routine life, although he had neglected to show up for work for the past week.</p><p>Opening one of the cabinets, V spotted a BD headset. The LED arms had been broken off and one of the electromagnetic sensors was bent out of shape but the chip reader remained intact. V pulled the chip out carefully but before she could finish scanning it with her optics, she was interrupted by an incoming call.</p><p>“Hey V.”</p><p>“Hey Panam, everything ok?”</p><p>V pocketed the chip and started making her way down the stairs to the ground floor of what seemed to be the plant’s production section, judging by the numerous rows of tanks and interconnecting pipes.</p><p>“Yeah,” Panam nodded, but V could see the slight pinch of her eyebrows and the tension in her shoulders. V stopped at the foot of the stairs.</p><p>“What is it? What’s wrong?” V asked with trepidation.</p><p>Panam hesitated. “So, about that Militech run-”</p><p>V could hear the roar of Panam's car and Panam swearing loudly before disappearing from view for a second.</p><p>“Car trouble?” V asked, eyeing the way Panam was wrestling with her steering wheel with a large scowl on her face.</p><p>“No, no, just some Wraiths,” Panam said distractedly, “damn it.”</p><p>The image shuddered and Panam returned her focus on V.</p><p>“Think I ran them over. Eh, not my problem.”</p><p>“I can see that.”</p><p>“Anyway, as I was saying. We hit the Militech convoy just as planned and we’re now heading back to camp.”</p><p>There was the sound of heavy footsteps around the corner and V ducked behind one of the tanks, shifting as the person seemed to draw closer. She peered around the tank, eyes widening at the sight of Rost stomping his way across the room.</p><p>Chrome covered the length of his arms, the dark contours indicating numerous hidden panels housing more firepower, enhancements visible on the knuckles and fingers.</p><p>What kind of engineer looked like a Maelstrom gangbanger?</p><p>“I’m gonna have to call you back, Panam,” V whispered, terminating the call.</p><p>Rost halted in his tracks, head snapping towards her direction.</p><p>Fuck.</p><p>His eyes flashed red and her vision blurred as he scanned her even though the tank should have been blocking his view of her. Her hands drifted towards her holster but he was already in front of her by the time her vision had cleared. The reinforced steel plates covering his knuckles crashed against her cheek, breaking her nose as well, and the resounding crack echoed around the building. Another swift punch to her stomach sent her reeling before he flung her across the room and into the side of another large metal tank.</p><p>The impact was jarring and V struggled to her knees, still disoriented. Blood was pouring from her nose and streaming down her face from a particularly nasty gash near the corner of her eye, making it difficult to breathe or see.</p><p>Rost rushed her in a zigzag pattern similar to what the Tyger Claws’ wushu warriors liked to employ but instead of the usual moving blur, he seemed to be vibrating at such a frequency that he was only visible intermittently, flickering in and out of sight. This was very sophisticated technology, even for a corpo.</p><p>He disappeared once more, reappearing in front of her at the very last second and it was only pure reflex that V managed to shift her weight enough to dodge the punch aimed at her head. The metal crumpled like tin foil and V twisted out from underneath Rost until she was behind him. She unleashed her mantis blades, aiming a wild swing at his head with her right but a well-placed block with his forearm halted her movement.</p><p>Electricity crackled in his fist, small streaks sparking at the chrome knuckles and dancing along the length of his arm. He swung out with his other hand, catching her on the ribs. Electric shocks rippled through her body and another punch sent her sprawling across the floor, gasping desperately for air. V couldn’t remember the last time she had this much difficulty in a fight. Head pounding, half blinded and aching all over, her instincts screamed at her to move. She rolled out of the way just as Rost smashed into the ground with his fist, the hidden piston in his arm hammering down with a clunk, cracking the concrete floor.</p><p>V stumbled to her feet in jerky movements, her mantis blades giving an almighty shudder before retracting back into her arms. Rost rounded on her and V could barely bring her arms up to block another numbing hit before the man broke through her stance, unleashing a flurry of blows. The force of his punches was enough to knock her optics offline momentarily with each blow, making it impossible for her to hack his systems. But when his steel grip started tightening over her windpipe as he lifted her until her feet were dangling off the ground, V scrabbled for the pistol at her waist. Her vision grew darker and darker and she pulled the trigger blindly, hearing the bullet ricochet off of metal. She tried to hold down on the trigger to charge the next shot but the lack of oxygen had sapped all of her energy and she found herself slowly losing consciousness.</p><p>
  <em>“Major leagues, chica – we made it.”</em>
</p><p>She could feel the pistol slipping from her grip, feel the darkness closing in on her.</p><p>Death was nothing new – it had followed her ever since she had stepped foot in Night City, each bullet and each kill adding to the weightless burden she had learned to shoulder almost carelessly. V no longer feared the reaper - not any more - but death walked the line between cruelty and relief, and she the one between strength and weakness; she was aching and exhausted in so many ways, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to fight any longer.</p><p>Her conviction wavered for a split second and it was enough to push her over the edge of the abyss. She barely registered her body hitting the floor as the EMP blast exploded outwards, crippling the power to the building and plunging everything into darkness. She could vaguely hear someone thrashing about nearby; vaguely feel the searing sensation in her chest and the white-hot fire burning in her veins.</p><p>Her optics finally rebooted, flickering online and she could make out the silhouette of Rost to her left, holding his head and stumbling around blindly. V willed herself to stand, but her chest hurt with each breath she took and the pain threatened to consume her; she wanted nothing more than to give in to the weariness that was slowly claiming her consciousness.</p><p>
  <em>“Wake the fuck up, Samurai.”</em>
</p><p>V cracked a wry grin and pushed herself onto her knees slowly and stiffly.</p><p>Fucking Johnny Silverhand.</p><p>Her fingers curled around her revolver and she eyed the shadowy figure half-limping, half-running towards her, the bright sparks fizzling along his arms betraying his position. She performed a system reset quickhack on Rost but it was taking longer than usual – perhaps there was some damage to her cyberdeck – and she was forced to blast out his kneecap with a charged shot. It wasn’t long before the man collapsed into a twitching mess on the ground.</p><p>Wiping the blood from her nose, V pressed against the sides of her nose gingerly, wincing at the sharp jolt of pain. It seemed like her nose wasn’t broken, but the cartilage inside appeared to be displaced. Gritting her teeth, she took hold of it and pushed it back into place with an audible crack, swallowing a painful groan.</p><p>She sucked in a breath of air greedily, brows furrowing when she recognised the smell of CHOOH2.</p><p>Fuck.</p><p>V grabbed Rost by the collar and dragged him out of the building with surprising strength. She had barely made it past the front entrance before an explosion rocked the plant, blowing out the windows and raining shards of glass on them.</p><p>She must have accidentally pressed redial on her holo though, because Panam’s face popped up immediately and V scrambled to pretend that it wasn’t a mistake.</p><p>“Hey Panam,” V said breathlessly, “where were we?”</p><p>“Fuck V, are you ok?” Panam squinted at her. “Your face is covered in blood! What happened?” She gestured at the blazing inferno that had engulfed the chemical plant.</p><p>“Oh, that.” V grunted, shifting the body she had slung over her shoulder, and raised her voice to make herself heard over the roar of the fire. “Ugh, this guy is pretty heavy.”</p><p>“V, focus.”</p><p>“Right, right. I was chasing down a lead in relation to these corrupted BDs. This guy right here was one of the users. Think he might have had a cyberpsychotic break at Lizzie’s a week ago.” V slowed to catch her breath. “Think one of my bullets punctured one of the CHOOH2 tanks. Or maybe it was the power outage. But yeah, there was a bit of an explosion.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t classify that as ‘a bit’,” Panam said with raised eyebrows, letting out a low whistle.</p><p>“It’s uh…unfortunate,” V concluded rather lamely. “Anyway, what’s up? How did your heist go?”</p><p>Shoving Rost in the back of her car, V revved up her engine and sped off back towards Watson; Regina would know what to do with the man.</p><p>“Did you, by any chance, go scuba diving with someone?” Panam asked after a beat.</p><p>V faltered for a second. “I did. With Judy. But how would you know that? I’ve never told anyone.”</p><p>There was a moment of silence. Then Panam let out an agitated hiss, rubbing the back of her neck absently.</p><p>“We retrieved a ton of gear from the Militech convoy – guns, armour, medical supplies – you name it. We haven’t been able to hack into the computer yet – Carol says it’s gonna take a bit longer – but we’ve started taking a look at the contents of the chips and we found a raw BD of you scuba diving with another woman. Or well, with Judy.”</p><p>V’s blood ran cold.</p><p>“Wait, was-”</p><p>“She wasn’t there, V, obviously. But I can’t make any sense of <em>this</em> at the moment.” Panam threw up her hands in frustration. “Hopefully we’ll get a clearer picture once we can hack into the computer and decrypt the rest of the chips.”</p><p>“How long?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“How long do you still need to hack into the computer?”</p><p>V’s tone was unintentionally harsh, but Panam simply nodded in understanding.</p><p>“Carol thinks the computer should be done within the hour.”</p><p>V pushed her car to its limit and Night City melted into an iridescent blur, blinding yet beautiful. She was still hurting and tired in so many ways, still drowning in the dark of the night.</p><p>“I’ll be there.”</p><p>But love was what one made it out to be and V had always loved wholly, absolutely and with reckless abandon – it was her strength and weakness, her resolution and conviction, her loyalty and faith.</p><p>And V was done running.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Story title and chapter title based on the songs of The Weeknd.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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